Safety harness



Sept. 26, 1967 E. H. SPOUGE 3,343,763

SAFETY HARNESS Filed Dec. 21, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 12 I 320' 29 a? P4 E. H. SPOUGE 3,343,763

SAFETY HARNESS Sept. 26, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 21, 1964 United States Patent 3,343,763 SAFETY HARNESS Eric Herbert Sponge, Harold Hill, Essex, England, as-

signor to Pacific Scientific Company, a company of California Filed Dec. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 420,076 6 Claims. (Cl. 242-1014) This invention relates to a safety harness for use by travellers seated or otherwise supported in road and rail vehicles, air and marine craft, and in general to harness reels of the type comprising a casing to be fixed, in a suitable position, to the floor or frame of the vehicle or craft, in which casing a spindle is mounted to turn, to which one end of a strap is fixed, and in which the strap is adapted automatically to be Wound into the casing and onto the spindle by a spring of a desired number of turns, one end of which is secured to the spindle and the other to the casing, and unwound from the spindle by pulling on the other end of the strap which passes to the exterior through an opening in the casing, and is detachably or otherwise connected to the harness.

In co-pending application No. 237,462, now US. Pat. No. 3,203,641, there is described an inertia operated safety harness reel having a reel, an inertia member adjacent said reel and mounted both for movement therewith and relative movement with respect thereto and means for locking said reel against rotation in the payout direction on occurrence of said relative movement wherein inertia-member-restraining means are provided which are operatively engageable with said inertia mem ber to restrain movement thereof with said reel whereby said reel is immediately locked when moved in the pay out direction or its sensitivity varied.

The present invention is an improvement in or modification of the inertia operated safety harness reel therein described.

According to the present invention there is provided an inertia operated safety harness reel assembly having a reel, an inertia member adjacent said reel and mounted both for movement therewith and relative movement with respect thereto and means for locking said reel against rotation in the pay-out direction on occurrence of said relative movement wherein inertia-member-restraining means are provided which are operatively engageable with said inertia member to restrain movement thereof with said reel whereby said reel is immediately locked when moved in the pay-out direction or its sensitivity varied, wherein said intertia-member-restraining means is a sphere freely positioned in a recess in which it may be displaced by gravity or inertia forces from an inoperative position farthest from said inertia member to an operative position closer to said inertia member to restrain the free movement thereof. The sphere may make physical contact with said inertia member when displaced from said inoperative position. Remote control means may be provided associated with said sphere for displacing said sphere to the operative position. The remote control means may be a manually operable finger engageable with said sphere.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of one form of safety reel made in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a transverse section on the line II-II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ball cup insert plate shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 on a larger scale.

FIG. 4 is an underneath plan view of FIG. 1.

In the example shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 the reel assembly comprises central casing 11 providing an entrance tunnel 12 and a reel housing 13. The sides of the reel housing 13 are apertured and bearing sleeves 14 for the reel spindle 15 line the apertures. The bearing sleeves 14 are backed by annular members 16 and 16a formed integrally with a D shaped brake plate 32 and D shaped member 33 respectively fitted into flange 17 formed integrally with the casing 11. A strap S passes into the reel housing 13 through the tunnel 12 and is wound onto the spindle 15 constituting the inertia operated safety harness reel. Each bearing 14 carries a guide disc 18 to come on each side of the wound strap S to guide the strap S as it is Wound up. The right hand end, as seen in FIG. 1, of the reel spindle 15 projects into an end housing 21 and is encircled by a helical spring 22. This spring 22 acts between the spindle 15 and the end housing 21 and is preloaded to wind the strap into the reel housing 13.

The left hand of the spindle 15 projects into an end housing 23 and carries a thrust plate 24 which is fast with the spindle 15. The thrust plate 24 has three equal spaced recesses 25 in it which provide seats for three ball bearings 26. On the thrust plate 27 on which an inertia sleeve or plate 28 is mounted, said plate constituting the inertia member associated with the reel. The plate 28 is free to rotate about the spindle 15. The inertia plate 28 has three equally spaced recesses 29 in it. These recesses 25 and 29 are deeper at opposite ends respectively so as to form cam grooves for the ball bearings 26. The inertia plate is urged by a light spring 31 towards the thrust plate 24. The D-shaped brake plate.

32 in the housing 23 is positioned against axial movement by depressions 32a.

In use of the reel, when a steady slow pull is exerted on the strap, the inertia plate 28 is carried round with the thrust plate 24 by virtue of the pressure of the spring 31. However, on a sudden increase in tension of the strap, the thrust plate 24 accelerates rapidly. This acceleration is not instantly followed by the inertia plate 28 and that plate lags behind the plate 24. Due to the shape of the recesses 25 and 29, the ball bearings 26 force the inertia plate 28 axially away from the thrust plate 24 and into contact with the brake plate 32. Rotation of the inertia plate 28 is therefore resisted causing the ball bearing 26 to ride further along the recesses 25 and 29. The inertia plate 28 is therefore forced more firmly into contact with the brake plate 32 and winding out of the strap is prevented. The brake plate may be a friction pad locking means or complementary teeth may be provided on the brake plate and inertia member.

In the harness reel modified to embody the present invention the end housing 23 is enlarged at the base to accommodate a ball cup insert 40 the upper surface of which is shaped as shown particularly in FIG. 3, the lowest point of which is numbered 42. Positioned on the cup 40 is a ball 44 the possible changes of position of which are indicated by dotted circles in FIGS. 1 and 2. Bolts 46 pass through the end housing 23 a flanged base plate 48 and the cup insert 40 and nuts 50 clamp the cup insert 40 and end housing 23 to the base plate 48. The cup insert 40 is provided at its lowest point 42 with a slot 52 transversely of the reel. A tube 60 mounted parallel to the slot 52, is slotted longitudinally at 64 and is held in position by a plug 66 at the right hand end (FIG. 2) and the ferrule 68 on the end of a manual control conduit 70. At the other end slidably mounted in the tube 60 is a rod 72 which is a free sliding fit and has a projecting finger 74 which is cranked so that its end will enter the slot 52 for engagement with the ball 44. A compression spring 76 mounted on the inner member 78 of the control cable acts between the ferrule 68 and the rod 72 urging the finger to the right as seen in FIG. 2. A manual control (not shown) has a gate to hold the finger 74 fully to the left and out of engagement with the ball. A second spring 86 is mounted in a recess 88 in the rod 72 and re- 24 is formed a bearing sleeve.

acts between the rod 72 and the cable nipple 90 and allows for overtravel of the operating lever.

In use on release of the operating lever the spring 76 causes finger 74 to force the ball 44 into engagement with inertia member 28 thus holding the inertia member so that it moves axially into engagement with the brake plate 32 if the strap S is pulled. When not so locked the ball 44 will normally take up a rest position at the lowest point of the cap insert 40. Should the reel be accelerated or tilted in any direction the ball 44 will move away from its normal rest position and into contact with the inertia plate 28 thus applying a braking action which will assist the normal function of the inertia plate previously described.

With the arrangement above described the device is sensitive to acceleration of the strap and a change of velocity of the vehicle.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An inertia responsive safety harness reel assembly having a housing; reel means mounted for rotation in said housing; safety harness strap means wound on said reel means; an inertia member adjacent said reel means and mounted both for rotation with said reel means and for relative movement with respect to said reel means; locking means for locking said reel mean's against rotation in the direction for paying out said strap means, said locking means responding to the occurrence of said relative movement; restraining means operatively engageable with said inertia member, said restraining means including a spherical member and recess-forming means adjacent said inertia member, said spherical member being in an inoperative position in said recess to avoid engagement with said inertia member, said recess being so formed that said spherical member may be displaced by gravity or inertia forces from said inoperative position to an operative position in contact with said inertia member to restrain the 4 movement of said inertia member with respect to said reel means, whereby said reel means is immediately locked when rotated in the direction for paying out said strap means.

2. The inertia responsive safety harness reel assembly of claim 1, further including remote control means associated with said spherical member, said remote control means being adapted to displace said spherical member to said operative position.

3. The inertia responsive safety harness reel assembly of claim 2, wherein said remote control means is manually operable, and includes finger means engageable with said spherical member.

4. The inertia responsive safety harness reel assembly of claim 3, wherein said remote control means includes spring means opposing said manual operation.

5. The inertia responsive safety harness reel assembly of claim 4, wherein said spring means urges said finger means into engagement with said spherical member.

6. The inertia responsive safety harness reel assembly of claim 5, wherein said recess-forming means includes a ball cup provided at its lowest point with a slot arranged transversely of said reel means, said finger means extending through said slot for engagement with said spherical member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,650,655 9/1953 Neahr et a1. 242107.4 X 3,203,641 8/1965 McFarlane et a1. 242107.4 3,237,729 3/1966 Proctor 242107 3,240,510 3/ 1966 Spouge 242107.4

FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

W. S. BURDEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN INERTIA RESPONSIVE SAFETY HARNESS REEL ASSEMBLY HAVING A HOUSING; REEL MEANS MOUNTED FOR ROTATION IN SAID HOUSING; SAFETY HARNESS STRAP MEANS WOUND ON SAID REEL MEANS; AN INERTIA MEMBER ADJACENT SAID REEL MEANS AND MOUNTED BOTH FOR ROTATION WITH SAID REEL MEANS AND FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID REEL MEANS; LOCKING MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID REEL MEANS AGAINST ROTATION IN THE DIRECTION FOR PAYING OUT SAID STRAP MEANS, SAID LOCKING MEANS RESPONDING TO THE OCCURRENCE OF SAID RELATIVE MOVEMENT; RESTRAINING MEANS OPERATIVELY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID INERTIA MEMBER, SAID RESTRAINING MEANS INCLUDING A SPHERICAL MEMBER AND RECESS-FORMING MEANS ADJACENT SAID INERTIA MEMBER, SAID SHPERICAL MEMBER BEING IN AN INOPERATIVE POSITION IN SAID RECESS TO AVOID ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID INERTIA MEMBER, SAID RECESS BEING SO FORMED THAT SAID SPHERICAL MEMBER MAY BE DISPLACED BY GRAVITY OR INERTIA FORCES FROM SAID INOPERATIVE POSITION TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN CONTACT WITH SAID INERTIA MEMBER TO RESTRAIN THE MOVEMENT OF SAID INERTIA MEMBER WITH RESPECT TO SAID REEL MEANS, WHEREBY SAID REEL MEANS IS IMMEDIATELY LOCKED WHEN ROTATED IN THE DIRECTION FOR PAYING OUT SAID STRAP MEANS. 